We carried out this announced inspection on 19 October under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We planned the inspection to check whether the registered provider was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

We told the NHS England area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. They did not provide any information of concern.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• Is it caring?

• Is it responsive to people’s needs?

• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Alpha Dental Care is located in Shoreham by Sea and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

The dental team includes the principal dentist, one dental nurse and one dental therapist.

The practice is currently undergoing significant building renovations following two separate incidents; a fire and flood respectively, which both resulted in considerable damage to the practice. As a result the practice currently has one treatment room in operation and there is a temporary patient waiting area. Once work is finished there will be two treatment rooms and a separate decontamination room. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

On the day of inspection all 45 CQC comment cards sent ahead of the inspection had been filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, the dental nurse and dental therapist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and alternate Saturdays from 10am to 1pm by arrangement.The practice operates extended hours on Wednesdays from 9am to 7pm for dental therapy.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The practice made every effort to accommodate patients with complex needs.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership. Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.

We identified areas of notable practice:

• The principal dentist had thought innovatively about how best to assist patients with physical limitations which significantly impacted on their ability to brush their teeth. The principal dentist had modified patients’ toothbrushes to provide a custom fit using impression material, enabling patients to brush their teeth effectively.